LAND AGENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 252, 24 April 1912, Page 5

LAND AGENTS.

A DESIRABLE REFORM. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright Hamilton, Last Night. A deputation of land agents waited i on the Prime Minister to-day, urging; the necessity for legislation for the regis tration of land agents. asked, that Mr. Geo. Witty's Bill should be brought in as a Government measure. ■ Mr. Mackenzie asked the views of the 1 ' deputation of an agent selling land at; £SO or £OO an acre and accepting a* deposit of a few pounds only. Did they not think by such transactions that values were being unduly forced up I above the nominal value? The deputation replied that this was outside the ' province of an agent, resting solely with the vendor, who stated his terms. Mr. Mackenzie asked if this state of affairs ought not to be corrected. It was con-; sidered by the deputation that reform in this respect was perhaps "'desirable. The Prime Minister replied that not only did the Government want the status of those dealing in land raised, hut it desired to protect the public from the artificial values raised by these smftfl deposits. He could not promise any-' thing on the Statute Book this year," but he promised to go into Mr. Witty's Bill and see if anything could be done in the direction indicated. He quite approved of the status of those engaged ■ in the sale of land being fixed and guaranteed. Replying to the question by Mr. ■ Mackenzie as to what qualification a' man had to carry in order to he registered, the deputation said that this was proposed to he left to the local authority. J